1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to guiding devices to be used in conjunction with medical ultrasound devices, and in particular, to such guides for assisting in the placement of catheter needles or the like.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Ultrasound devices are commonly used in medical procedures to produce an image of a portion of the body being scanned by the device. The scan is a two dimensional sectional image. Ultrasound devices are often used in conjunction with the placement of catheter needles or the like. The ultrasound image serves to locate the targeted portion of the body, for example, a tumor, to assist in the placement of the catheter needle or the like in the target. To more accurate orient the catheter needle, guides that clip to the ultrasound probe are known. In these devices the needle is releasably held at a fixed angle and is deployed manually by the physician. These devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,987 and a commercially available device, the Site-Rite® Disposable Needle Guide. Similar devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,469,106; 5,758,650; 6,296,614; 6,361,499; and 4,497,325. Some of these patents disclose devices that are angularly adjustable. A more complicated device to position a medical instrument using ultrasound imaging is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,832, where the relationship between the target tissue is determined with respect to a reference plate having a plurality of apertures. The ultrasound imaging is used to determine which aperture to use to guide the instrument to the target tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,665 discloses a system for ocular microsurgery in which surgical tools may be advanced or retracted by a mechanical system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,999 discloses a method and apparatus using imaging processing to develop information about an anatomical feature and to position a surgical instrument relative to the anatomical feature. Various imaging devices may be used to provide information to a display. A surgeon or other user may use the information from the display to position or reposition instruments using, e.g., a joystick.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,132 discloses a therapeutic system guided by information from an MRI device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,029 disclose a method for free-hand guiding of a needle towards a target located in a patient's body. Devices are provided for sensing the position of both the ultrasound transducer and the needle. The position information is displayed on a screen to a user who may then direct the needle freehand to the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,791 discloses a virtual surgery system which provides a simulation based on image data. A surgical procedure may be simulated with the surgeon using a joystick or the like to navigate through the image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,439 discloses a needle-like ultrasound probe. The probe comprises an inner needle received in a hollow outer needle. The inner needle is inserted into the patient by a drive mechanism that rotates and translates the inner needle to scan the imaged area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,910 discloses a system for imaging a biopsy needle where the tip of the needle is vibrated and the resulting Doppler response is detected and used to locate the tip of the catheter.
References mentioned in this background section are not admitted to be prior art with respect to the present invention.
The limitations of the prior art are overcome by the present invention as described below.